“THE TIME TO BACK A PEOPLE’S VOTE IS NOW”, SAYS LOCAL MSP

Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey has reiterated her calls for a second EU referendum, after a tumultuous couple of weeks in the world of politics.

The Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no confidence motion after her Brexit deal was voted down at Westminster, and she is set to come back to MPs for a further vote on a new proposal in the coming days.

Many opponents of Brexit are calling for a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.

Only last week (16 January), research published by the campaign groups Best for Britain and Hope Not Hate showed that 72% of people living in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency want a new referendum if the UK Parliament cannot decide on the best way forward.

At Holyrood last year, MSPs debated a motion which called on the Parliament to support “a public vote on the final terms of the Brexit deal”. In total, 66 MSPs, including Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey, backed the motion and 28 voted against.

In doing so, the Scottish Parliament became the first Parliament in the UK to back a so-called People’s Vote.

People’s Vote is a British campaign group calling for a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Commenting, Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said:

“The handling of the Brexit process by the UK Government has been nothing short of shambolic. 63% of voters in South Lanarkshire voted to remain in the EU in 2016 – higher than the Scotland-wide percentage – and this figure will only be rising.

“Research presents a stark picture of the economic shock a bad deal will have on Scotland – warning it will leave every Scot worse off by £2,300 a year, wipe out 80,000 jobs, and damage growth and business opportunities for decades.

“With the UK set to leave the EU on March 29, we are running out of options and time.

“The people of Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain, and in the face of continuing Brexit chaos, with a potential bad deal or no deal looming, the time to back a People’s Vote is now.”

ENDS

Notes:

Further information on the Best for Britain/Hope Note Hate poll can be found here: